Monday, January 6, 2020

Jesus the Healer


January 5th, 2020      “Jesus the Healer”    Rev. Heather Jepsen

Mark 1:21-45

         In our narrative lectionary reading we have finally gotten to the gospels.  This spring we will read our way consecutively through the Gospel of Mark until we reach Easter.  You will notice that Mark packs a lot of story into a small space.  Mark’s gospel is filled with energy and everything happens at a break neck speed.  A sense of urgency pervades the gospel as Jesus’ time is short and he has much to accomplish.

         If you were here last Sunday you heard the beginning of the gospel.  Jesus was baptized, driven into the wilderness, and then immediately set about the work of proclaiming the kingdom of God.  He gathered his first followers and today we find him in Capernaum and Galilee doing the work of healing.

         His first encounter is in the synagogue.  Jesus is busy teaching on the Sabbath and it is clear from his message that he possesses an authority that other teachers do not.  Suddenly a man who is demon possessed appears in their midst and cries out with a loud voice declaring that Jesus is the “Holy One of God.”  Jesus immediately silences the spirit and heals the man, which causes word about him to spread throughout the region.

         When they leave the synagogue they go to Simon’s house and his mother-in-law is in bed with fever.  Jesus touches the woman, a forbidden act, as it would render him unclean until he could fulfill the temple cleanliness ritual.  The woman is healed and rises to serve her guests.

         The word of Jesus’ power has spread and by that night the crowds surround Simon’s house, hoping for a chance to see and touch Jesus.  According to Mark the whole city was there, a nearly unimaginable crush of people.  Jesus cured many people of illness and cast out many demons that night.

         In the morning we find Jesus seeking rest.  Alone he wanders into the countryside for a private moment of prayer and rejuvenation.  As the sun rises so do the crowds, once again clamoring for his attention and his touch.  Simon and the others seek him out, encouraging him to return to the city.  But Jesus insists they must spread this good news beyond Capernaum and the group goes throughout the Galilee proclaiming the message and casting out demons.

         In our final story for this morning Jesus is approached by a man with leprosy.  Ritually unclean and possibly contagious, this man would have lived alone on the fringes of society.  He calls out to Jesus asking to be healed “Jesus, If you choose, you can make me clean.”  Jesus touches the man, again crossing boundaries between clean and unclean and the man is healed.  As with other healings, Jesus asks the man to keep his healing to himself, but the man cannot help but proclaim the good work that God has done through Jesus.  By the end of our first chapter, Mark tells us that demand for Jesus has grown so strong that he can no longer enter the towns but must remain on the outskirts and the countryside, continually mobbed by those who seek his healing power.

         Throughout the gospel of Mark we find Jesus battling the forces of evil by healing those who are under the power of demons or unclean spirits.  In our highly educated American culture this can be a hard concept to relate to.  In other places in the world, demon possession is still a real concern, but here we have written such things off under the guise of mental health and other scientific explanations.  While I admit I am reluctant to believe in demon possession, I think we have lost a vital component of our faith if we toss out this idea all together.

         Readers of my personal blog will know that I recently had a mental health scare.  One of the medications I was taking for the nerve pain in my foot had a possible side effect of depression and suicidal tendencies.  As I continued to take my medicine, I noticed that I was becoming more and more emotional.  One day after little sleep the night before, I reached a breaking point and got to a place where all I could do was lay on the bed and cry.  As a voice in my head told me how worthless I was, I began to realize that I probably shouldn’t be taking this medicine.  I was one of the people who had this strong side effect.  I am happy to report I am off this medication but needless to say it was a frightening experience. 

         I think we often like to tell ourselves a narrative about how strong and free we are, how everything that happens to us is of our own making and in our own control.  Experiences like mine serve as a reminder that we are often not in control, rather we are at the mercy of the forces of the world around us.  Our mental health is much more fragile and precarious then we would like to believe. 

         While I was not possessed by a demon I was certainly under the power of a force outside of myself that was causing me real distress and danger.  Perhaps this serious side effect was a force of evil in my life that day.  It is not beyond the scope of imagination.  Couldn’t any mental illness be categorized as so?  That which robs us of our ability to live, be it PTSD, dementia, Alzheimer’s, addiction, or any other mental struggle certainly feels like a force of evil in our lives and in the lives of those we love.

         In fact, many of our health struggles feel like struggles against evil.  From the cancer that robs us of our lives, to the diabetes that must be constantly monitored, to chronic illness that changes the entire course of our life, these mysterious forces shape our days in patterns of pain and anguish.  No one can answer the question of why we grow ill; perhaps imaging a demonic possession isn’t too far out there after all.

         In our scripture for today we find that Jesus is the one who combats these places of fear and pain.  Jesus calls out to demonic forces and commands them to leave us be.  Jesus touches the fever and brings the cool relief of healing.  When those who are ill are outcasts to the world, Jesus crosses boundaries to bring a healing touch.  In the gospel of Mark Jesus has come to do battle with the forces of evil that keep people captive, be they the power of spiritual corruption or the corruption of our very flesh.

         It can be challenging to make promises about God’s healing power in the midst of a world full of suffering and pain.  As my own health becomes a daily struggle I find that I wonder what exactly to pray for.  What kind of healing has God promised to me in the midst of chronic pain?  What kind of healing has God promised to you?

         When I look at the characters in our stories for today, I cannot relate to those who receive Jesus’ miraculous touch.  I do not know what that is.  But I do see myself in those that are hungry for Jesus.  In the crowds that gather at the door of Simon’s house.  In the “whole city” that gathers to catch a glimpse of him.  I see myself in the disciples that hunt Jesus out, saying “everyone is searching for you.” Mark tells us that “Jesus could no longer go into a town openly, but stayed out in the country, and people came to him from every quarter.”  I can imagine that hunger.  I see it in your face and I know it in my own life.  We are beset by the forces of evil, the pain of suffering, and we long for Jesus’ power and his healing touch.

         The presence of God in our lives brings physical and spiritual healing.  Throughout this narrative we read that Jesus’ message is to proclaim the good news.  Mark tells us that Jesus preaches “the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God has come near; repent and believe in the good news.”  Jesus calls us to repentance and to change.  Jesus calls us to healing and oneness with our God.  Jesus brings the kingdom close to us, if only for a little while, with a promise of healing and new life.

         This New Year, as you look around and catalogue your life, do not lose hope if you find yourself under the powers of the forces of evil.  It can seem at times that evil has won and that corruption is endemic as the greedy prosper, war wages on, and our health and well-being suffer.  But God has come to combat that evil.  Jesus brings the healing touch that we so long for.  Jesus battles all that threatens to hurt or destroy.  The power of God manifest in Christ can be hard to imagine, but the longing for God’s healing is close to each and every one of us.

         We may not know what form healing will take.  We may continue to suffer as we seek after hope.  But we can be confident that God reaches out to us in love.  There is no point in our suffering that is beyond the reach of our Lord.  There is no contagion or brokenness that renders us untouchable to God.  God’s love and promise of hope has the power to pervade into every dark place in our lives and to cast out any demon that may be tormenting us.

         This New Year, let us continue to hunt after Jesus.  Let us continue to seek him out and chase him down.  Let us not give up on the promise of healing but eagerly call out to our Lord; “Jesus, If you choose, you can make me clean.”  Amen.

No comments:

Post a Comment